Celebrity Parents Share Advice At Pre Oscar Studio Gifting Event

Oscar buzz was in the air as celebrities mingled and checked out hot and up-and-coming baby products at Jayneoni Moore’s Pre Oscar Studio Gifting Event on Saturday (February 26). I was lucky enough to chat briefly with celeb parents Jodie Sweetin, Laura Ling, Joey Fatone and Angie Everhart and to get their answers to five Celebrity Baby Scoop questions:

What is your can’t-live-without baby/child product at the moment?

Angie, who was with her adorable 1 1/2-year-old son Kayden, was quick to respond “Diapers!” while Laura enthused about the Stacker from Green Toys as daughter, Li, 8 months, played nearby. “They’re an environmentally friendly product. She loves stacking them – anytime she’s antsy or crying we just give her those,” she said. Jodie had a long list of can’t-do-withouts: a special swaddling blanket for 5-month-old daughter Beatrix and a nightlight that projects the moon and the stars on the ceiling, “[Daughter Zoe, 3] will not sleep without it!,” the former Full House actress says. And dad-of-two Joey probably echoed the sentiments of parents everywhere when he said a big box of wipes is absolutely essential for all those “sticky hands.” (Those would be the hands of daughters Briahna, 9-1/2, and Kloey, 10 months.)What piece of parenting advice did you receive before you had kids that has proved invaluable?

“Don’t do it!” Joey cracked, but then remembered this sage advice: “They grow up fast, take your time.” Angie said that anything told her by her own mother proved invaluable. “My mom just gets smarter everyday. She constantly giving me good advice,” the model/actress said. And Jodie stressed the importance of learning to chill. “I didn’t get that much parenting advice,” she admits. ”But I guess what I would tell people is just to relax – most of the stuff is not life or death!”

But the words that seemed to carry the most weight came from Laura, whose time being held captive in a North Korean prison in 2009 has certainly given her a unique perspective on life. “I’m trying to spend as much time with Li as I can,” the Current TV reporter said. “I was a very busy person before I had her. Just balancing the whole work/life thing I thought would be a challenge, but I’m just trying to spend as much time with her as I can and it’s been absolutely wonderful.”

What piece of parenting advice did you receive before you had kids that proved to be completely useless?

Jodie’s husband Morty Coyle remembers advice told him before his two daughters were born, “When changing a boy’s diaper…” that he most certainly never used. Both Laura and her husband Iain Clayton said almost in unison, “Sleep when the baby sleeps” and remarked that they had yet to use that piece of advice. And Joey says the problem with most parenting tips are that they aren’t timely enough. “Things changed from when I had my first kid. So when people say ‘we used to have that,’ it’s already obsolete!”

How do you feel about your child following in your footsteps?

Laura is hoping little Li follows dad’s path. “If she wanted to become a journalist, I would support that and be incredibly proud,” she said. “But actually I hope she enters her fathers field and becomes a mathematician!” Both Joey and Jodie say that while they are there to support their budding performers, ultimately it’s their choice. “I encourage it, but I don’t force it down their throats,” former N’Sync member Joey says. “I know my 9-year-old loves doing plays and and she’s heavily into the arts and liking it. [I tell her] If that’s what you want to do, whatever you want to be, go for it!” And Jodie echoes his sentiments. “If they want to do it, that’s totally fine. My 3yo is a total ham, but she’s not focused enough at the moment. She loves the camera and if she wants to do it when she gets a little older, that’s fine but I’m not going to push her into it.”

But Angie is hoping Kayden’s footsteps are bigger than hers. “He’s going to be way better than I am!” she laughs. “I wish way more for him!”

Who is your parenting role model?

As expected, moms win hands-down when it comes to setting a good example. “I actually told my mom one day, ‘Mom, thank you for all the times you told me no because I really needed it,'” Jodie recounts. “My mom was an amazing mom – she was always there and very open.” But grandmas figured prominently, too. “My grandmother was so instrumental in the lives of my sisters and I,” Laura remembers. “She offered us so many lessons in morals and life.”

And Joey gives full credit to his parents for lessons that helped him deal with fame. “Because of them I’ve always got my feet on the ground. And aiming for the sky!”